Monday, August 12, 2013

That Town

The American public has been characterized in many
ways, not all of them flattering.They
have been called gullible, ill informed and even stupid.We speak of the "electorate" but
far too few of us vote.And often those
who do vote cast ballots that are contrary to their own best interests.The majority of us know shockingly little
about the people we put into office, not to mention the issues that confront us
as a nation.That may not make us stupid
but it hardly gives one confidence in informed or intelligent voting.Just as we buy into those instant diets that
will make us svelte with little or no pain or sacrifice, we look for leaders
with whom we can imagine sharing a beer or, yes, a glass of wine.The pal-worthy criterion prevails across all demographic
groups and probably to an equal degree.

Now those who follow my posts know that, while
highly critical of low voter turnouts and how poorly many of us are schooled on
the issues, I don't think the public at large is stupid.Complacent absolutely, misinformed (often
purposefully led in that direction) sure, but not stupid.Perhaps what gives me so much confidence is
that according to the most recent Gallup polling,
only 10% of Americans have "great or quite a lot" of faith in
Congress.That's down from 42% in 1973.Americans have a very good sense of what's
going on, and of course equally what's not.So Mark Leibovich, in his new book This
Town, tells a story that somehow only confirms what we already know or
fear.

The bottom line of Leibovich's tale is that
Washington, whom everyone there refers to as "this town", is plagued
by a deep-seated corruption (my words not his).In the old days the word corruption conjured up an image of cash laden
envelopes, which abounded across the land.But this is corruption of a different kind, one that makes the other
seem petty, if not inconsequential, in comparison.In today's Washington, when work is done and
"public service" is ended, few ex-office holders go home.They stay and begin a second career, often as
seven figure a year lobbyists.That's
good, because Washington is a money town and not having enough of it makes you
an outsider.If you have any doubt just
ask the real locals who are struggling like so many Americans beyond "the
beltway".

In a sense, there are two Washington’s — and that's
probably always been true — one well-healed, well partied and well positioned; the
other relatively anonymous and largely overlooked.Leibovich writes of the former and few of those
whose portrait he paints come off well.It
is a This Town that didn't suffer through the great recession but thrived,
often feeding from the very trough of the nation's despair.With bank and other interests at risk, lobbyists
were super busy and former Senators and Congresspersons were in particular
demand —particularly well paid.And
through all the despair, the lavish parties went on, for sure places to
celebrate but equally, if not more so, to be seen, and to be noticed.

No where better or more suitable to make or renew
connections than at an event like the late Tim Russert's memorial (with which
Leibovich begins) or at the now overblown White House Correspondents Dinner.That once modest get-together has now morphed
into a star-studded extravaganza attended by Washington's elite and a large
dose of national celebrities including the icons of Hollywood.It is also a command performance of our
presidents who are expected to show their lighter comedic side.Leibovich tells us that Obama's act was
threatened when it looked like the Special Forces might be moving in on Osama
bin Laden on a Press Club Saturday night.What a relief that the mission took place on the following day.Next year's dinner will be on May 3rd, mark
your calendar.

The pull of the rich and corrupt ways of This Town is powerful and almost no one,
including the press, is immune from being sucked in. Leibovich is careful to plead guilty.They too, especially the big stars, are
invited to the parties as the author was to one at Ben Bradley and Sally
Quinn's Georgetown home — the bookend of Russert's memorial.To be sure, they are often there to cover the
moment, and they do, but we're a long way from the days when reporters, even
the stars, often lived from paycheck to paycheck never straying far socially
from their local bar.This is a time
when the likes of a Bob Woodward or Tom Friedman are more concerned about how
to invest their riches than whether they'll have the ware with all to send
their kids to college.NBC's Andrea
Mitchel, perhaps in part because she's married to Alan Greenspan, is part of
the regular social scene, but she's hardly alone in that.

Leibovich's book as about what makes This Town tick and in the end it's all
about wealth and, yes, greed.He writes
about today, but of course the character types and the motives he describes are
not new to the place.Tammy Haddad (a
name you might not know) may be today's party major domo, but let's not forget the
millionairess Pearl Mesta who in an earlier era was dubbed "The Hostess
with the Mostess". So, too, have
their been ambitious Congressional staffers whose sheer chutzpa and ego got them into trouble.Kurt Bardella (another unfamiliar name), whom
the author describes as the "ankle-biting young flack for Representative
Darrell Issa" epitomizes today's version.There are, no doubt, countless others like him on the Hill and in across
town.

We bemoan the fact that bi-partisanship has ceased
to exist in Washington.But have no
fear.In This Town former Democratic and Republican office holders routinely
partner in big moneymaking lobby firms.Covering all the bases, they are not dependent on which party is in
control at any given time.It's a new
take on the recession-resistant business model.And look for the senator who cries loudest about lobbyists and you're
sure to find the fastest one to enter their fold.Trent Lott, Evan Bayh and Chris Dodd are
prime examples and Haley Barbour is one of the masters.But perhaps no one really tops Bill Clinton.Here is a man who didn't even own a home when
entering the White House and now is a multi-millionaire.While remaining a charismatic figure and
doing many good things, his riches ultimately derive from having been
president.The veteran actor Dennis
Haysbert tells us in his deep sonorous voice that "we're in good hands
with Allstate".Reading This Town sadly makes me feel that we
are not in such great hands with the people running our national capital, in
and especially out of office.

The oft-used adage that we have "the best
government money can buy" runs much deeper than Citizens United and the
big dollars spent on getting people to that town.True, part of what we're seeing can be
attributed to the fact that elected officials on the Hill continually need to
raise funds for the next election, something that starts with their victory
speech for the one just passed.It is
also sad but true that in some ways we're better served by an already super
wealthy — a Michael Blumenthal or Darrell Issa — than the yet to be really rich
people who now hold public office, elected or appointed.Former retail magnate Herb Kohl didn't have
to move into lobbying when he left the senate. He already owned his soul, no need to sell it.

We need far more than election, tax or immigration
reform in this country.We need a
fundamental reform of the system.It's
not only a matter that corruption prevails, but that it's so engrained that the
players have forgotten what the word means.Attribute it to money if you will, but a doing so is probably too
simplistic. The fact is that the town that Leibovich so brilliantly paints is embodies
massive conflicts of interest. It is a
way so embedded that it's hard to see a way out. For sure, we would all like to see it change,
but let's not hold our collective breath.Don't ask why the bankers haven't gone to jail after 2008.You know why and it's not pretty with plenty
of guilt to spread around.To paraphrase
Donald Rumsfeld, we don't move forward with the government we want, but with
the we you have. Despite all claims to the contrary, bi-partisanship is alive
and well in that town on the Potomac. Don't
expect that to change any time soon.

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About Me

A branding consultant with decades of experience working with large global clients and brands, he now serves primarily young startup companies. Beginning his professional life as a rabbi of a large urban congregation, he has watched the numbers of the religiously unaffiliated grow in the years since leaving the pulpit. His book, Transcenders: Living beyond religion and the religion wars (available on Amazon) considers this phenomenon. Beyond his consulting practice Prinz spends much of his time writing, including this Blog. He posts to "Beyond All That" only when there is something to say that might add value to the conversation.